The Journey - December 2, 2013

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

When I was young, I listened to the St. Louis Cardinal baseball games on my little transistor radio. The Yankees were my favorite team (Mickey Mantle and Bobby Mercer were both from Oklahoma), but there was no way I could pick up the New York games. So, I listened to the Cardinals…at least I tried to. The static and interference always presented a challenge. I usually lost the broadcast in the bottom of the ninth, two runners on, the score tied, and Orlando Cepeda at the plate. Then I had to wait until the next day to read the Perry Daily Journal to see whether or not Cepeda delivered. Static can play havoc on a transistor radio broadcast…and static can play havoc in your life.

One of the things that can get in the way of clearly hearing God’s voice is…sinful static. God lays before us a clear message of what He expects—His revealed will (It is God’s will that you should be sanctified—or set apart). But when we do not follow God’s revealed will, the “sinful static” keeps us from hearing His specific will for our lives. For instance, if a single person prays, “God, I really want to know what you want me to do with my life” but is sexually involved, there is “sinful static” that interrupts the reception. In essence, God says, “Why do you want to know my specific will when you are unwilling to follow my revealed will?”

Discovering God’s will is not just looking to the future; it is taking stock of the present. Do you need to get rid of some sinful static so you can clearly hear God’s voice?

Father, I want to know exactly what You want me to do. I do not want to live this one and only life and miss Your will. So show me my sinful static. Help me confess it and deal with it. Please rid the static so I can hear You loud and clear. In Jesus’ name. Amen.